Comparison

GentleBirth Contraction Timer vs The Thompson Method

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

This app helps track labor contractions with real-time monitoring, editing, and manual entry. It offers individualized audio labor coaching, background sound options, and visual charts to analyze trends. The app also provides notifications for when to go to the hospital or contact a care provider.

Highlights
  • Real-time contraction tracking
  • Manual contraction editing and addition
  • Individualized audio labor coaching
  • Customizable background sounds
  • Labor trend charts and statistics
  • Email surge history to care providers
  • Hospital arrival and care provider contact notifications
Features
Read full description

***THE BEST CONTRACTION TIMER APP FOR A POSITIVE BIRTH EXPERIENCE*** The GentleBirth Contraction Timer app combines guidance from the Award Winning GentleBirth Program with a beautiful interface to make tracking contractions/surges easy, effective and stress free. Created by Positive Birth expert, author, midwife and Founder of GentleBirth, Tracy Donegan.  GentleBirth has guided tens of thousands of parents around to world through their own positive birth experience. WHAT’S INCLUDED Track contractions in real time, edit contractions previously recorded, manually add contractions or delete when necessary. GentleBirth Guidance provides individualized audio labor coaching based on your reported experience as you track each contraction. Using mindfulness, focus and breathing significantly effects pain perception. Separate background sounds allow you to play sounds in the background of the GentleBirth Guidance, background sounds only, or no audio at all. All easily controlled from one screen. Beautiful and easy to read charts and statistics allow you to see trends over time. You can change the timeframe to view the information that is most important you at any point during your labor. Email your surge history and release of water data to yourself or your care-provider directly from the app. The GentleBirth Indicator analyses the duration and frequency of surges and will notify you when it’s time to go to hospital or if there are patterns of contractions that indicate you should contact your care-provider. WE’D LOVE TO CONNECT We want to hear about about your GentleBirth Contraction Timer experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on social media if you have any feedback or questions about pregnancy, birth, the GentleBirth program or the Contraction Timer app. Email us at team@gentlebirth.com or contact support within the Contraction Timer app. NOTE This app does not provide medical advice. Our recommendations are based on standard indicators. Your labor may occur differently. Always consult your care-provider to orient yourself in terms of contraction frequency and duration. TERMS OF SERVICE https://gentlebirth.app/terms/ PRIVACY POLICY https://gentlebirth.app/privacy/

About

The Thompson Method

Read full description

Inside the The Thompson Method app, you can: Access all of your videos in one easy to use app Receive push notifications with the latest news and updates Access to all of your videos without having to remember your password Save your favorite posts so you can quickly find them later END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

GentleBirth Contraction Timer4 screens
The Thompson Method4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Thompson Method at none against GentleBirth Contraction Timer's 4. The Thompson Method also leads on ads (none vs shown). GentleBirth Contraction Timer's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GentleBirth Contraction Timer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. The Thompson Method asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GentleBirth Contraction Timer ships an update every 9 days, The Thompson Method every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
GentleBirth Contraction Timer versus The Thompson Method: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGentleBirth Contraction TimerThe Thompson Method
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (91 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings91 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPositive Birth App Development4 Good Pty Ltd

Bugs and requests

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Pop-ups won't close without submission
  • Pop-ups reappear after submission
  • Buttons on bottom bar unresponsive or hard to hit
  • Text doesn't fit screen
  • Audio pauses when screen times out or app switches
Show 1 more
  • Guidance and background music shuts off when phone screen locks

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode feature
  • Option to live share with someone
  • More varied coaching after 16 hours

The Thompson Method

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

GentleBirth Contraction Timer

One-time4
  • Contraction Timer Premium$0.99
  • Premium - One Time Offer$0.99
  • Premium - Discount Offer$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Contraction Timer - Email Data$0.99
None

The Thompson Method

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GentleBirth Contraction Timer free?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Thompson Method free?
The Thompson Method is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do GentleBirth Contraction Timer or The Thompson Method have ads?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer shows ads; The Thompson Method does not.
Which is updated more often, GentleBirth Contraction Timer or The Thompson Method?
GentleBirth Contraction Timer ships an update every 9 days, and The Thompson Method every 3 weeks. Most recently, GentleBirth Contraction Timer was updated on September 30, 2026 and The Thompson Method on September 17, 2026.

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